The AFTN Blog: Talking Points

It’s been an interesting few weeks in Fifelandia.

An away win in the Fife derby, a visit by the SPFL’s newest club and another first round Cup exit has given everyone lot to talk about.

There’s been highs, there’s been lows, but what’s been fantastic to see is that people are talking about our club again.

Since the summer changing of the guard, interest in all things black and gold has increased. And it’s about time.

The interest has been coming both on and off the pitch. Increased season ticket sales has meant higher attendances and playing in the same league as a team that the media are still obsessed with writing about has meant more column inches to what’s been happening at Bayview.

It’s an exciting season to be in League One, with the teams that have fallen from grace ending up in it.

Dunfermline seem to be putting some of their woes behind them, but they are certainly far from being out of the woods just yet. It was great to see us give them some woes on the pitch with a fantastic come from behind derby win at East End Park.

Away derby wins have become somewhat of a lost cause for whatever reasons for years. It’s incredible to think that win was the first such since some our squad were not too long our of nappies.

Let’s just hope it’s the first of many more to now come and gives our west Fife neighbours something to think about – you’re no longer a “big” club and haven’t been one since the 60’s.

The next week saw the biggest game to be played at Bayview Stadium since it opened in 1998.

New club The Rangers paid a visit and it’s been an amazing achievement with them coming from nothing to win a league title in their first ever season. And my, haven’t they built up a large support from nowhere. Kudos to the newbs.

When the circus comes to town, it usually brings with it clowns, freaks and sideshow attractions and the Gers game was no different.

Mistakes were made and the Board has admirably held their hands up to those and asked for feedback which they will hopefully use to ensure that they are not repeated in a few month’s time.

This isn’t the place to go in to those, so I want to look at what was, for me, the biggest positive to come out of the Rangers game.

For the first time since it was built, Bayview looked like a proper football stadium.

Having the temporary stands around the pitch and having fans, albeit Rangers ones, on all four corners of the ground was a sight to behold and one that I never thought we’d see at our current home.

It looked great seeing the place filled to capacity and anyone watching video of the game would never have known that wasn’t how it always looked.

Obviously there are issues that mean that, for now, this can’t be the norm, but we can still dream that one day we can stand all around the pitch, on terracing, and changing ends at half time.

Pipe dream I know and yes, we don’t currently have the fanbase to make it worthwhile or looked filled. For now at any rate.

The feelgood factor has come back to the club, let’s try and bring back the feel of the old Bayview whilst we’re at it. And let’s try and get some more singing going to. Terracing could hopefully allow for a coordinated effort to get chanters all in the one place, with drums, flags, tifo or whatever to bring some atmosphere to the chilly conditions.

From the highs, to the lows of another first stage Cup exit. Disappointing on a lot of levels, but seriously Scottish football bigwigs, get the divisions sorted so that we’re not playing the same teams ad nauseum in both League and Cup business.

Scottish football is in a dire enough situation without killing what romance remains of the Scottish Cup as well.

So a busy few weeks, let’s hope the less ‘glamourous’ games still see us with a lot more to talk about.